Comment by solipsism

I work with and am friends with plenty of people from various parts of India. Trust me, they can be expected to not put their hand on your thigh. Touching is common in some scenarios where they're not common in the US (e.g. between male friends), but only when people are close.

I'm American. A co-worker who isn't close to me hugging me is slightly out of line.

This just sounds like bullshit. Like any behavior at all would be explained by cultural differences, as long as the actor was from a different culture.